House, Thomas
THOMAS C. HOUSE
by Dona Eddy
Thomas C. House came to Wyoming in 1911 from Indiana. Like the rest of the Jireh immigrants he homesteaded approximately 4 1/2 miles west and almost 5 miles north of Jireh. His wife and household goods arrived later.
They were the parents of three sons; Thomas born in 1912, Robert 1914, Defiance, Ohio and Roy, West Liberty, Ohio.
A brother, Chester House, also came to Wyoming. He worked on his brother's homestead. He originally came to visit his brother but was taken with the country. A statement in the Jireh Record for May 21, 1913 states, "Chester House is back again on the farm at work. He will take care of the crops and this will leave Tee-See free to do better work for the record." Chester House left Wyoming for Washington where he became a rancher and sheriff.
A sister, Clara House, had also come to Wyoming. She worked for various people in Lusk until she moved on to her homestead in July of 1913. She purchased a house from David Walker Freeman, who along with the help of Alvin Adair moved it onto her homestead.
She married Ester Merchant, son of Mrs. Mike Connors and grandson of the C.J. Adairs.
An elder brother, George House, from Indiana visited his relatives during July and August of 1913.
T.C. House was a man of many abilities. He had charge of many Sunday church services rendering many good sermons as a minister. He was the news collector for the Jireh area and made the decision as what was to be printed under the Jireh local news in the Jireh Record when it was started April 26, 1913.
The Jireh Record states; G.C. Forsythe and T.C. Rouse as publishers. G.C. Forsythe also was publisher of the Lusk Herald and the Jireh Record was printed in Lusk for awhile. In the July 26 issue Thomas C. Rouse was stated as co-publisher of the Jireh Record. He also tried to keep or get supplies of lumber for the Jireh settlers.
The last week of August 1913 he made final proof on his homestead with Harry Haas and Percy Ford as witness. They left for the east and returned for a time in 1927 only to leave again and sold the homestead to J.C. Eddy in 1932.